New York colleges waive application fees in October: Here’s what high school seniors need to know

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York high school seniors can now apply to public and private colleges without paying an application fee.

The State University of New York (SUNY), the City University of New York (CUNY) and 40 private colleges and universities across the state will waive application fees through the end of October.

Here’s what students should know if they plan to apply to a college for fall 2024.

Why are fees being waived to apply to colleges?

Earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul made the announcement that this initiative would mark the first time that SUNY, CUNY and New York’s private institutions will join together to waive application fees — a move that will save families about $50 to $100 per school.

It involves more than 130 colleges and universities taking part in the application fee waiver.

What is the deadline to apply to these colleges for free?

The fee waiver initiative began on Monday across New York State.

CUNY schools have a fee waiver deadline of Oct. 31, while SUNY schools have a deadline of Oct. 29. Fee waivers vary at private institutions, so be sure to check colleges of your choice for their deadline.

What colleges are waiving application fees?

SUNY is waiving application fees across all 64 colleges and universities.

CUNY is waiving application fees across all 25 campuses. That includes seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions in New York City. CUNY serves more than 243,000 undergraduate and graduate students and awards 55,000 degrees each year.

Here’s a look at the full list of participating private schools:

• Adelphi University
• Canisius University
• Clarkson University
• College of Mount Saint Vincent
• College of Saint Rose
• Daemen University
• D’Youville University
• Elmira College
• Excelsior University
• Fordham University
• Hartwick College
• Hilbert College
• Hobart and William Smith Colleges
• Houghton University
• Iona University
• Keuka College
• King’s College (The)
• Le Moyne College
• Maria College
• Mercy University
• Molloy…